The Last Precinct: Temptation
by DarkTyger
Summary: Rayne has been alone for a long time. When a new case and new co-worker arrives, will she be able to resist temptation? Sequel to The Last Precinct. FemmeSlash.
1. Authors Notes

This story I wrote last night, I haven't slept yet. My puppy was stolen on Saturday and I haven't been sleeping. I dont know where to go after this story. I'd like to write another story featuring Psystorm, which I am currently working on at the moment.

This is the product a 26 hours straight with no sleep, 10 hours worrying about my dog and an equal amount of time in a depressed state about everything.

Also because I felt Rayne needed some love in her life. Much like her owner.

Enjoy! 

**Disclaimer:** This features same-sex relationships between two women. Now if you cant handle that or are jealous, please dont read. You have be warned. Nothing expilct.

**EDIT:** Name change, sorry all but Redemption is the name of the fic I'm working on now. My bad.


	2. Meetings

**The Last Precinct Head Quarters. Present Day.**

A wall. 

Such an ordinary thing, a concrete wall, strong, immobile, keeping wind and weather out, keeping the inhabitants behind it safe and secure. It holds buildings together, hides secrets, maintains privacy. It is something to lean on for support. Something to hang paintings on for decoration.

A wall.

But also imposing. Daunting. Terrifying to those trapped behind it. A thing to be feared and hated. A thing to be railed against. A thing to pound and tear at uselessly, for what human is strong enough to destroy a concrete wall?

I know of such a wall, a wall that stands solid and mighty, taunting me with its very presence. Its physical manifestation serves as a metaphor for its mental counterpart. The latter, though made only of scraps of nightmares and half-hidden memories, is far stronger than the former, for all that it is made of impenetrable concrete. Look, it seems to say. I am strong and venerable. I am rival to the very wind and the elements of nature. I stand tall and unmoved by the courses of human life. You, young mortal, are no match for me. You are small and weak, made of mere flesh and bone. Your mind bends to my power, trapped behind me. I am what stands between you and your freedom.

I regard it with lidded eyes. All it says is true, but I know I must not listen. Its words will draw me again down into madness. I turn my back on it with an imperious toss of my head. "Humans created you, humans can destroy you. We are not so weak as you might think, and nor am I."

It does not answer, but I feel it behind me, its brooding presence mocking me. It knows, as do I, that I am no match for it. Very well, it silently sneers. Believe that you are stronger than I, if that pleases you. We both know the truth of the matter. And, for a time, it leaves me in peace, and allows me to live my life.

But always eventually, inevitably, it makes itself known to me once again, appearing before me without warning, distorting my reality to that of its own, warping the world around me to a cerebral hell of its own devising...

I stand alone at the sink in the girls' bathroom, watching the stream of cold water run over my hands and splash into the basin. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the unremarkable facade of the expressionless expanse of white concrete reflected in the mirror behind me begins to take on a more sinister form, twisting slowly into another wall on another plane, a wall that looms over me and casts its dark shadow upon me, a shadow that is blacker and colder than the dark side of the moon.

I curl into a tiny ball at its base, shivering, shaking, body racked with cold and pain, pain that is like nothing else in this world or the next. There is no awareness but that of the pain, no realization of an end or of a beginning, no perception of past or future, just pain pain pain, spasms of pain, pure, undiluted agony. It is hotter than fire and colder than ice, burning through my soul, though every cell, every nerve, pain that is mindless and merciless. It is an orgasm of pain, pain that fills my whole body and mind until I scream and sob without a sound, for what sound can express pain so ineffable?

And when it abates a little, I lie in a pool of my own sweat and tears, struggling to breathe, to tired to move, with barely enough strength to open my eyes. Everything swims around me. Above, the wall jeers me with its presence.

I huddle on the ground, shamed that it has brought me to this state of utter madness, but also enraged that I have allowed it to overcome me so easily. Staggering to my feet, I whisper hoarsely, "I hate you. I hate you with all my body, mind and soul! You are nothing! Nothing! I will not let myself be controlled by you! Get out of my head! Torment me no more!"

Its silence mocks me.

With a wild banshee howl, I throw myself at it, battering my tiny body against it in futile rage. I beat at it with my fists, kick at it with my feet, rail and curse at it with my ragged voice, claw at it with fingernails that are too bitten to have any effect, but all to no avail. My mind wages a similar battle on the astral plane with the wall that, though only formed of shadow and twisting masses of darkness, is none the weaker for it. I lash out at it with my will, trying in vain to push back the blackness with the dimming light of my soul, but I am too small, to weak. I fall to my knees, exhausted, defeated.

It is then that it laughs, screams with laugher, roars with laughter.

My eyes glow with madness, and I rage at my own weakness. How may this lifeless, inanimate thing dominate me? How may I let it do so? I will not! I will not! And I renew my desperate attack once more. I no longer see the white expanse of concrete before me, only the infinite tract of contorting shadows in my brain. I strike out at the wall in frenzied anger with my small, small hands until they are bruised and bloodied, until bones splinter and shatter, until the physical pain overcomes the mental, and I collapse into a broken, bloodstained heap. I sob helplessly, watching the blood ooze slowly from me, seeping into the ground until it is stained crimson.

"So," I murmur through cracked lips. "So. I am beaten." I sigh, a whispery sound like wind through dead leaves.

Does it come as any surprise? My triumphant enemy smirks. You were beaten from the beginning. You might have saved yourself much pain if you had given in from the start.

"No!" I respond forcefully, struggling to sit up. "No." The effort is too much, and I fall back against the wall, my energy expended. "Every human is beaten from the start; life is of itself a terminal illness," I continue softly. "But we deny our own mortality to all, even to ourselves...especially to ourselves. So we teach ourselves to search for the faint traces of happiness that can be found in the darkness and hell of living. I am not the only one with a wall such as yourself; every man has his wall to fight. Mine, I suppose, was just stronger than some, or perhaps I was merely weaker. I shall never know." I am silent for a moment. "Yes," I conclude finally. "It was the right thing to do, to try and fight you as long as I could. There were some good things, even through the pain..." I look up at the wall, blurry now through faded sight. "I bid you farewell. You were a worthy adversary."

My dimming eyes gaze no longer outward, but see only the illusion of my madness. Is it the hallucination of a dying girl, or does it seem as if the wall has shrunk? What will become of it now that I shall be gone? But the mockery in its voice is still evident when it answers, I bid thee farewell also, though a worthy opponent you were not. There was no challenge in this fight. Nevertheless, you lasted longer than I would have wagered, and for that I commend you.

But I am silent then; I have not the strength to talk longer. My blood flows from me in an ever widening pool around my body. My only awareness is that of the wall, that wall of nightmares...nightmares that are somehow not as frightening now that I am a part of them for all eternity. My breath comes raggedly, its laboured rasping the only sound. Everything is so still. There is not even a wisp of wind to see me on my way.

Suddenly, I am no longer alone. The last thing that imprints itself on my rapidly deteriorating consciousness is a black-cloaked figure standing tall before me. It is the one I have been waiting for since the day I was born. The one who draws me down to eternal peaceful oblivion. The one I welcome without fear, skull and scythe both.

Through my haze, a figure glides to my broken body.

"Your not ready to leave yet, are you?" It asks.

"Leave me be"

"I think not. Not until you hear what I have say."

"Then you don't have much time do you?" I reply.

"Such a waste. All those talents, all that skill, wasted. You want something more, a family. A normal life. I can't give you that but I can give you something else you desire."

"And what, pray tell, is that?" I sneer.

"Justice"


	3. Introductions

**The Last Precinct Head Quarters. Present Day.**

Rayne woke up from dream with a jolt. Cold sweat dripped off her now-damp fur to pool on her sheets. The room was silent, except for the occasional sound of Poke'mon snoring. A sound she was grateful for. It broke the silence, which was more unbearable the loud rumblings coming from her allies and friends.

Rayne cast a glance at her room that stood for her life now. Four bare walls, a window that looked out into the hallway of the sleeping floors of The last Precinct. Her room which sometimes served as her work-office, was bare save for a king sized double bed, furbished with satin sheets and pillows, a desk for her computer and laptop, a chest of drawers which housed her proudly stolen stereo system and a wardrobe which house not only her clothes but a full length leather jacket. The only reminder of her life before The Last Precinct.

At nearly twenty, Rayne was by now a high-ranking Agent with the The Last Precinct. She had a good record and a solid reputation. She loved her job, it was her life and she couldn't imagine doing anything else. In almost four years, she hadn't seen her family. It was, by now, November - this was the forth holiday season she would be alone, and Rayne didn't think she could stand it. In the past years, she'd built up a shell around herself, a hard, tough exterior, something to hide behind when things got too tough. Personally, and professionally. She didn't cry anymore, at least, not much.

She didn't laugh a whole lot either.

Draven MacNally made her laugh. He was witty, smart and an environmental activist for Greenpeace. She'd met him on the streets and he'd fallen in love with her at first sight. She would never exactly reciprocate his feelings, but for months, he'd pursued her, and finally, she'd yelled at him. Just once. That's all it took.

Standing in front of the mirror, Rayne stared at herself, her face betraying no emotion. That was a part of the wall she'd built up - a mask, although she thought the term was clichéd and in any case, platonistic. A little voice inside her was asking if she could really go through with this - she already knew that she could. She didn't have any qualms about leaving her family, which was considered a sin. "Love thy mother and father" What happens when they don't love you? She wasn't deeply religious - in fact, Rayne mused, and family really was more of a status than anything else. It was a prefix in front of her first name, and a replacement for her last. Rayne. She murmured it aloud - "Rayne" - and it sounded strange on her tongue. Ness... Rayne... It didn't sound bad, exactly, just different. And she didn't mind different - in fact, she was ready for a change.

The first time she had introduced herself to the smart-arsed human in front on her, lying on the ground after she had unintentionally kicked him in the ribs, after she thought he was following her. She felt liberated. Her past was exactly that..her past. She could start over; start fresh and no one would have to know her secrets.

She missed her family. Rayne wondered whether any of them would bother trying to find her - she knew that they probably wouldn't. (A few hours surveying old haunts confirmed this conjecture.) Most of her friends wouldn't know where to look and she'd lost touch with so many people in a short space of time, that she really wasn't holding her breath for that, either. She didn't care. Rayne took a deep breath and told herself firmly, "I do not care. I. Do. Not. Care." Because she didn't, she really didn't, she didn't care at all. She was losing herself now, becoming somebody new and-

Did she really think that changing her name would make her a different person?

God, she hoped so...

Rayne yawns over her mid-mourning coffee. If humanity had to be thanked for something it would be the invention of NesCafe Gold Blend 42.

She stumbled over to the mess table in the HQ mess hall; slightly more awake and coherent then she was 5 minutes ago when she stumbled blindly into the hall, fumbled for the jug and made her coffee.

Atleast now she could see.

Somewhat.

Pikachu greeted her with a high pitched deathly cheerful "Pika" which either meant that he had missed his opportunity with the cute Pikachu from Forensics or that he had taken the opportunity and scored with the cute Pikachu from Forensics.

From the look on his face and the smug expression on the face of her freshly groomed Arcanine, she would have to guess it was the latter.

Lucky bastard.

"You know, you could of made me one" she growled, glaring at his freshly made cup of coffee. That would explain why the jug was so hot. She toyed with her burnt hand. "Anything interesting" she said, nodding at the opened newspaper.

"Certainly is me-dear! Another case. Thought you'd like something to do, other then sit on your arse." Draven smiled cheerfully.

Rayne narrowed her eyes and sniffed the air. Yep, the scent of smugness and sex had detached itself from the bodies of Pikachu and her partner and made its way up her nose and into her life.

Pity it couldn't detach itself from her body and make those bastards jealous.

Bastards.

Draven caught the expression on her face and smirked. He glided over to the coffee jog and switched it on.

"Careful, its hot" she smirked at his burnt hand.

"Uh huh, thankyou Rove McManus, now here's joke that will really brighten up your day. We have a case and before you jump out of your sit with joy, here's the punch line. Markus is head of it meaning we are the lapdogs –er- cat."

Rayne felt all jaws in and out of their poke' balls, drop. The sounds of four now very awake Poke'mon jumped out of their respective poke'balls and joined the protest that had filled the air.

Agent Markus had been found not guilty of hindering an investigation, after sleeping with a suspect that the duo where investigating. After finding the remains of an 11 year old girl, the duo was placed on the case. After a night of drinking, Draven had talked to the mother at her home and woke up to find that he was being accused of rape. After finding him not guilty and turning to the mother as a suspect, after information gathered, Rayne and Draven had confronted her only to had discovered that Markus had been sleeping with her and that she, herself had killed her daughter.

After sleeping with a suspect, hindering a investigation and being an all round arse-wipe, Markus had been found not guilty and continued to be an all around jerk, like nothing had happened whereas Draven had been formally cautioned and his reputation was still on the mend, slowly.

"What is it this time? Markus wants us to get a cat out of a tree?" she sneered, getting cheers from her Poke'mon. None of them liked him either and for good reason. He still believed that The Last Precinct opening its doors to hybrids was the greatest mistake since electing John Howard for Prime Minister again and he wasn't afraid to voice his opinion.

"This is the third case this month..." Blaze closed the door to Markus's office while reading from her file.

"The bugger has been busy..." Draven said.

Blaze handed each of them a file. "All the stories match. The girls met a man in the Internet chatroom. He seems friendly. Always giving them advise... about school, parents... etc..."

"Gaining their trust..." Rayne said.

Blaze nodded. "The girls trusted him, so when he suggested they meet... There was no resistance. They agreed to meet at the Opera House, went to lunch, a movie and then... He rapes them..."

"What about descriptions?"

"White male... mid twenties - early thirties. Long blonde hair, blue eyes, average height and weight... Not much really, since the girls said they weren't paying much attention to the guy's appearance cause he seems 'normal'... Nothing out of sort... but we do have a brief sketch" said Blaze.

"Any real name? Address?"

"Unfortunately, no... They only call him by his nickname, which varies... Big Brother and Big Bro. No address... The swab from the victims tested positive of human DNA but it doesn't match any in our database. Either he's new at this or he hadn't been caught..."

"Fingerprints?"

"So far, none... But Forensics is still trying..." said Blaze.

"We don't have any name, we don't have any address... How the hell can we catch the perv?" Draven asked.

"I've called a unit from CyberCrime to help us. They'll be arriving this afternoon. Blaze, you set them up in the OR and brief them about the case..." Markus said.

"Okay..." nods Blaze.

"Anything else?" Markus asked looking up at his officers. All shook their heads.

"Okay, go do your job..."

"You know who they're sending from CyberCrime?"

"Nope..." Blaze said.

"Not some kid with runny nose, I hope..." Draven said.

"I don't think the academy is that lenient, Draven..."

"He passed didn't he?" Rayne said, gesturing towards Draven.

"Ha-ha... Funny..." said Draven sitting down at his table.

A sharp knock made her look up. For a moment, Rayne just stared at the figure at the door.

"G'day ma'am..." the voice was familiar. Flashes of memories that she would rather foget, flooded her conscience.

"We're from CyberCrime Unit...

"Matthews?"

"Glad you still can recognize me..Rayne." there was that familiar grin again that sent shivers down Rayne's spine. She got up from her table. "So, they sent 'you' down here again..." she said as she shook hands with the trio.

"This is Agent Faith Edwards and Agent Samuel Gaffney..." Kit said introducing her partners. "Pleasure, ma'am..." the two said.

"I've set you guys in the OR..." Rayne said. "Is that okay?"

"As long as there's a phone and power outlet we can plug into... Anywhere can do..." Kit said as they followed her to the Operation Room. They passed the Agent's office. Blaze gestured for them to go in.

"Guys..."

The two looked up. "These are the lot from CyberCrime..." Rayne said.

"How do you do" Draven grinned.

She said shaking Draven's hand. "I'm Agent Kit Matthews, this is Agent Faith Edwards and Agent Josh Gaffney..." she gestured to the two. "Guys, this is Agent Rayne Goldstein and Agent Draven Holloway..."

"A pleasure..." the two chorused again.

"I'm just going to show them to the OR. Would you like to join for the briefing?" Blaze asked.

"Yes, fine..." Rayne said as she shuts down her laptop while Draven tossed the pen he had been chewing for the past hour on his desk.

"On April 12, at about 10a.m.; Stephanie Rowans went out to meet a man she had met in a chatroom. They had been exchanging emails and had meetings in the chatroom for about three weeks. When the man suggested that they meet, she agreed because she had always wanted to meet the man whom she described as 'the brother she never had'. He was nice, polite and seems to have no ill attention towards her. They promised to meet at the Opera House and then went to lunch. After watching a movie, the man brought her to the beach on the pretense of a short picnic. He had been a perfect gentleman all day and the girl didn't have any reason to believe otherwise. He then, held up a gun to her head and demanded her to have sex with him... Same story, same scenario with the other two girls, Linda Cooney and Rina Owens. Our own Agent Rickus found the last one. One distinct signature, he took the girls' panties with him "

"You didn't get any descriptions?" Kit asked.

"Just brief sketches. Long blonde hair, tied into a ponytail, blue eyes, average bloke... On all occasion was wearing work slacks with ordinary cotton shirt, and carries a backpack... in which he stashed the gun in... The girls didn't know the man's real name or address"

"So you need us to trace him..." Josh said.

"You can?" Rayne asks.

"We can trace him through his IP..."

"IP?" Draven said looking confused. Behind him, Rayne rolled her eyes.

"Each computer logged to the Internet needs an identity which is called the "Internet Protocol address" or "IP address." It is similar to a telephone number or street address. The IP address is personally identifiable information that is automatically captured by another computer when any communications link is made over the Internet. This includes visiting web pages, sending or receiving e-mail, visiting newsgroups, or using a chat room..." Kit paused to let the information sink in.

"Generally, users who have fixed Internet connections like cable modems or private companies, etc have fixed IP addresses. Dial-up Internet providers usually give addresses dynamically from a pool when a user dials in to connect... First, we can determine who owns the network. IP addresses are distributed in blocks to network providers or private companies. By searching IP registration databases it is possible to determine who owns an IP address block. If not, we can conduct a 'Traceroute'. When information packets travel through the Internet they pass through several computers in a hierarchical fashion. Normally packets pass from the user to their Internet Service Provider (ISP) until it reaches the user's "backbone" provider. It then transfers to the destination "backbone " provider down to the ISP of the destination computer and finally to the intended recipient. It is often possible to determine an approximate physical location of an IP address in this fashion. Or we can find matches from users making public postings on discussion boards or from web sites that leave their log files open to the Internet..."

"Basically..." Blaze cuts in. "You guys can trace him...?" she asked, glancing at the trio.

"Yupe... It's faster if he uses dedicated lines. If he's using switched line, it'll take a bit longer but we still can trace him..."

Rayne headed back to her office after the briefing. She was about to sat down when she noticed Kit had followed her. "Yes, Matthews?" she asked.

"Can't you just call me by my first name?" Kit asked casually leaning against the doorframe, hands stuffed in her pockets.

"What can I do for you?" Rayne asked instead.

She shrugs, 'I've missed you."

"I've noticed. Thank you..." Rayne said.

Kit didn't know what else to say. Rayne sat back in her seat and regarded her with a cool unperturbed gaze. Her tail looped around the chair leg. Pikachu gave the pair an odd look before heading out to get something to eat with the others.

"Well..." Kit scratches the back of her head, confused at Rayne reaction. "Okay then..." she said before turning around and headed out.

Draven stuck his head into the OR room. He saw the CyberCrime Unit taking boxes up the stairs. Each labeled with names of computer peripherals. The room doesn't resemble the usual OR where it used to have only a white board and rows of chairs. Now, there are three sleek computers mounted on modular desks and scores of modems with blinking lights stacked on another. Bundled cables running out the backs of the equipments littered haphazardly on the floor. He looked around for Kit.

Kit's back was to him as she talked into her mobile phone, one hand typing on a keyboard. "No, no..." she said. "One long beep followed by two short ones and we're probably talking about a malfunction with the monitor, maybe the board containing the video chips..." she listened to the other end. "Yes, it's a huge difference if it's just one short beep..." she explained to the person on the other line. "Now, we're talking about a problem in the system board..." she swivelled around in her chair and her eyes caught sight of him at the door. She smiled. "Hey, Dave... Listen, can I get back to you?" She snapped her mobile close and stood up.

"Hey Draven..."

"Who's your friend?" Draven asked.

Kit smiled knowing Draven's real attention. "You want me to introduce you?"

"Yeah..." Draven answered, grinning.

Kit chuckled. "Okay, come on in..."


	4. Confrontations

**The Last Precinct HQ. Operations Room.**

P3 Logs in #AustraliaSingles

Kit stared at the chat screen as streams of names began to scroll up. Jeez, so many... How the hell can we get the man to pay attention to us? She thought.

P3 Hello all...

A few chatters said 'Hi' back. Kit scrolled the list of nicknames looking for Big Brother or Big Bro or any nickname similar to it. The chat flow was very slow. Nobody seems to be saying anything interesting. And a lot are 'divers' meaning, they were just watching until something interesting comes up.

"Hell, this is boring ..." Kit said out loud.

"Just stick to it Pip... It's still early..." Faith said from her terminal. She was staring at the same screen as Kit's, keeping track of chatters coming in and going out.

Bytor Is everyone having a cigarette? Where's all the sex?

Pervert, thought Kit. Then she smiled gleefully. The room was so quiet, might as well 'fire' things up. Who knows, maybe 'big brother's' watching.

P3 How about you?

Bytor Nope

P3 Oh, well...

Bytor Are you m or f P3?

P3 f

Bytor How old?

P3 Old enough

Bytor Can you tell me how to have cyber sex?

P3 Okay, first go and find a girl

Bytor Will a blow up doll do?

P3 No, a blow up doll is too passive...

Bytor Can we have cybersex?

P3 You don't even know me

Bytor I know, but I'm really interested in learning how cybersex works. How is it done?

P3 Have you ever masturbated in front of another person?

Bytor That is too embarrassing to even think about answering

P3 Why? Are you fat?

Bytor No, I play a lot of tennis

P3 Then you'd have nothing to be embarrassed about. Or is your penis too small?

Bytor Are we going to have cybersex, or are you just teasing me?

P3 Let's start again, but don't rush. Go slowly.

Bytor Okay, I think you're nice.

Hah! Thought Kit. If you only knew...

P3 Thank you.

Bytor I am 6 feet tall, sandy hair. You?

P3 I am 5'10", 36C breast and a cute butt

Bytor You sound pretty

At the mention of her posterior, suddenly a crowd of chatters hurriedly joined the channel and began the chat-channel equivalent of wolf whistling. But none joined the conversation. Maybe they wanted to know where this would lead.

Bytor Starts undressing P3

P3 My button's stuck

Bytor Pulls button off

P3 Ping!

Bytor pulls P3's dress? Blouse? Off

P3 Okeedokee...

Bytor What are you wearing now?

P3 Just my jeans

Bytor unzips your jeans with his teeth

P3 Yikes

Bytor Puts on soft music

P3 Is that Barry Manilow I hear?

Bytor Yes, Barry baby!

P3 Bytor, you big, wild boy, you

Now, Kit was giggling so hard, she could hardly type. The others noticed her strange behaviour and began crowding behind her.

"What are you doing?" Josh asked.

Kit couldn't stop giggling.

"Kit..."

"Shhh..." Kit cuts him off.

Bytor Whispers secret nothings in your ear

P3 Like what? For instance

Bytor Have some champagne

P3 Can't, allergies...

Bytor Oh, well... Drinks the golden liquid.

P3 I'm totally naked and running around the room screaming.

Bytor Grabs you and starts to kiss you all over

P3 My parents are home! My parents are home!

Bytor No they aren't

P3 They're coming up the stairs. Hide, Bytor, under the bed

Bytor Hides under the bed

P3 Hi, Ma

Bytor is scared.

P3 No, Ma... No one is here. That was the radio...

At this point, Kit typed a command "nick Ma " and instantaneously switch her nickname to Ma . Bytor remains huddled under the bed, understandably confused.

Ma You little whore! Slap!

Switch back to P3

P3 Ssshhh... Bytor. If ma hears you, she will kill you

Switch back to Ma

Ma Who's under the bed, P3?

Switch back to P3

P3 No one, Ma. I was reading the Bible.

Bytor Eats some soap.

P3 Ohmigod! Ma has the belt!

Bytor runs

P3 Swack! Swack! Swack!

Bytor Streaks from the room.

P3 Swack! Swack! Swack!

Bytor parts Channel #AustraliaSingles

The three could no longer hold themselves and succumbs to an attack of the giggles. Josh barely able to stand up and had to support himself against the back of Kit's chair while Faith was already sitting on the floor.

"Oh, my god!"

"You're crazy, Pip. Poor guy!"

"Poor guy, my arse! That'll teach him to go around asking for cybersex..."

"I'm amazed he stuck around as long as he did..."

"Maybe he thought you were just living out your sexual fantasy..."

"Ah...Well, I'll get professional help soon..."

Suddenly, a box came up. It was a private message.

BrotherAl That is not nice...

The laughter died abruptly as the three looked at the name on the screen. Kit turned to the others. "Trace it..." she said. The others went scrambling back to their terminals.

P3 I was only joking

BrotherAl you shouldn't have agreed to it in the first place.

P3 Like I said, I was only joking.

BrotherAl Don't do it again. You don't know what kind of weirdoes you might end up with.

P3 What do you mean weirdoes?

BrotherAl There are all sorts of people in cyberspace, P3. And not all have good intention.

"It's dedicated!" Josh yelled from his terminal. "Tracing IP now..."

P3 You sounded as if you've had bad experience in this before

BrotherAl No, just reminding you to be careful.

P3 Where are you?

BrotherAl Oh, somewhere...

P3 In Australia?

BrotherAl Yes

P3 Where in Australia?

BrotherAl Somewhere...

Kit didn't push him more. She wanted him to be in there long enough for them to trace him.

"Josh?" She called out.

"Yeah, nearly there!"

BrotherAl You're new here or you've changed names?

P3 Been here for a couple of days

BrotherAl How you end up in here?

P3 I used to be in WBS but it was shut down. A friend suggested me this room. I'd thought I'd give it a try.

BrotherAl Who's your friend? I've been in here for quite sometime. Maybe I know your friend..

P3 Oh, she's new in here too. I don't think you know her

BrotherAl OK :). So, are you still studying or already working?

P3 Still in school

BrotherAl Which school?

P3 Oh, a school in Australia :P

"He's in a cyber café in King's Cross!" Yelled Josh, jumping up.

"Faith, take over... Keep him online..." Kit bounded off following Josh.

Draven tapped his pen against the edge of his table. He's bored. Nobody seem so be committing any crime today. Hell, where are all the criminals had gone too? They took a vacation together? He looked up to see Rayne buried behind her laptop, typing a report.

"I'm bored..."

Rayne looked up. "Well, you can always help me with the reports..."

"Nah... I was thinking of something else..." grins Draven.

Rayne saw and understood the grin. "Not in broad daylight, McNally..."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Cause I can see you face..." Rayne answered.

Draven was about to snap at her when Kit stuck her head inside the office. "Picked up a trace. Might be him. Wanna come?" she asked. Quickly, both jumped up.

The café was a small room on the second floor of a shop house. The Agents squinted against the dimly lit room. Kit nodded to Josh as they began wandering in. Rayne went to the counter and flashed her fake badge. The girl behind the counter was startled but remained quiet. Draven sat down at the lounge area, only a few feet from the door.

The terminals were arranged in a row of makeshift cubicles. There are about 20 terminals and teenagers occupy all of them. Kit frowned. No one in here fits the description they have. These are all kids. Suddenly, she saw Josh stopping behind a chair at a sole terminal hidden at a corner. A man in his twenties was at the computer, engrossed in his chat that he didn't notice the Agents.

Josh looked up and nods curtly to her. "It's him" he mouthed silently. Slowly, Josh placed a hand on the man's shoulder. Startled, he turned and when he saw Josh, he immediately knew he was the police. He quickly bolts off shoving Josh away.

He made it to the door but he didn't make it outside as Draven was already waiting for him "Alright, kiddo! Take it easy..." he said as he handcuffed him.

"I didn't do anything..." the man said.

"Then, why did you run?" The man didn't answer. Draven led him down the stairs.

"I can't believe we've got him..." Josh said.

"You're sure he's the guy? He doesn't fit the description..."Rayne said.

"But I traced him here..." Josh said.

Kit was silence. She scanned the room. Suddenly, her phone rang. "Matthews..." she said.

"Where the hell are you? Aren't you there yet? He's going to leave!"

Blood drained from Kit's face. "Are you still in the room?" she asked.

"Yes!" Faith said. "And he's going to leave! Should I stop him?"

Kit walked to the empty cubicle and sat down. She saw the chatroom screen and BrotherAl was still there, saying his farewell.

"Kit?"

"No, let him go..."

"What's wrong?" Josh asked.

"It's not him..." Kit said.

"What do you mean it's not him?"

Kit pointed to the screen, just as the message came up.

BrotherAl parts Channel #AustraliaSingles

"What the hell..." Josh spun around to see who had left their seat, but nobody got up. Kit pressed 'Enter' on the keyboard.

Bytor ...

Kit didn't know whether to laugh or to curse as she saw the nickname.

Blaze looked up from behind the counter to see four Agents walking in with sullen faces. Two officers in uniform was holding a man in handcuffs and leading him to the cell room.

"Is that him?" She asked.

All four shook their heads. Draven placed a small plastic bag on the counter. "This is all we got. And 'that' accidentally dropped from his pocket..."

Blaze frowned. "The four of you ran off like the sky is falling down and all you got is a tube of ice?" she asked.

"Ask the whiz kid..." Draven said and he headed off upstairs. Rayne just shrugs. Blaze turned to the other two left. She raised her eyebrows.

"I don't understand it... I traced him to that café..." Josh was saying. "And he was the only one who was chatting in that chat room..."

"Josh..." Kit interrupts. "Just go and find out about the owner, please..." she said. Josh nodded and walked dejectedly upstairs. Kit ran her fingers in her hair and sighed. Without a word, she turned and walked out.

Rayne stood at the window, watching Kit standing at the edge of the pier. It'd been half an hour and she was still standing there with shoulders hunched and hands in her pockets.

"You okay?"

Kit turned to see Blaze behind her. She smiled. "Yeah, I'm okay..." she said. "Just needed to cool some steam off..."

"We still have DNA to match... He's not off the hook yet... " Rayne said.

"'BrotherAl' was still in the chatroom after we arrested the guy..." Kit said. "We underestimated him. We were assuming that he is just a chatter. But now I think he really knows computers and the Internet. Only someone with knowledge in networks can tap an Internet connection..."

"So, what now?"

"There's only one sure way..." Kit said. "We have to set up a meeting with him..."

Rayne nodded, considering the plan.

"I'm starving. Would you like to go and grab something to eat?"

Kit was looking at her expectantly. Rayne flustered for a moment, under the gaze. "I'm still on duty... You go ahead..." she said.

"She's afraid of you, dimwit..." mentally Kit shook herself when she notice Rayne's awkward manner. "All I'm asking for is lunch... not a date. I thought we could catch up" she smiled.

"I know..." Rayne mumbled, hating herself for feeling like a schoolgirl being asked to the prom. She was confused. There were so many questions she wanted to ask "I just... have a lot of work to do..." she said.

"Well, I hope you're not too busy to let me walk you back to your office..."

The bar must be the only bar in town crawling with cops. Kit thought as she made her way into Cutter's. She spotted Blaze, Pete and Draven sitting at a table at the far end of the room.

"Sorry I'm late..." Kit sat down at the table.

"We just got here ourselves..." Pete said.

"You didn't bring Faith?" Draven asked.

"Sorry Drav. She said she got a date..."

"Damn!"

"Okay, where are the beers? My offer only stands for tonight..."

"Cheapskate!"

"I'll go and get them... All beers right?" Pete got up.

"Yupe..."

"How's the case going?" Blaze asked.

"A bit slow to my liking but that's the way we have to do it. I hope we can get him to come out..." Kit said.

"What's the chatroom again?"

"Australia Singles..."

"Hmm... I think I've been in there once but it was too quiet so I left... It's only full of school kids..." Blaze said.

"Yeah... I think that's why the guy chose that room. It's easier to control than big chatrooms "

"Scares the living daylight out of me... Can't imagine I might have actually talked to him at one time..." Blaze said shuddering.

"How can you get close to someone without actually meeting?" Draven asked.

"I think it's all in the head. Chatters talk about themselves a lot. Sometimes their cyber friends know them better than their real friends. As for not actually knowing what the other looks like, that adds to the advantage of pouring yourself to someone without being judged physically... "

"Hmm... That's good..."

"You're not thinking of going online too, are you Drav?" Blaze asked.

"What? No..." Draven said. "Just wondering..."

Pete came back with four mugs of beer. "A toast to Agent Kit Matthews..." he said raising his beer. The others cheered to that.

"How did you decide to become gay?"

"Draven!" Pete and Blaze exclaimed.

"What? I'm curious..." Draven said in defense. "You don't mind me asking do you?" he looked at Kit.

"No..." Kit smiled. "Truth is, I always get that from people..." she said.

Draven looked at the other two. "See... She doesn't mind. I can't possibly ask Rayne about it... She'll kill me...She knew a Kit once.."

"Huh?" Kit froze. " Rayne?"

"I see..." was all Kit managed to say. She couldn't describe the way she was feeling at that time. She didn't know what to do... Laugh or cry at the sudden revelation. And all this time she thought she was going crazy for falling for the hybrid.

Rayne chose that moment to show up at the table. "Hello, people..." she said. "What's going..." She didn't have time to finish her sentence when without warning, Kit got up, turned to her, grabbed both sides of her face and kissed her full on the lips. She didn't have the time to protest.

Just as sudden as the action, the kiss ended. Kit stepped back. "Glad I can get that out of my system..."She smiled at Rayne who was staring at her, dumbfounded. She turned to the others at the table. "I'll take care of the tab. See you guys..." And with that, she turned and walked out of the bar.

Nobody said anything. Blaze turned to the three who were staring at her, mouths gaping.

"What was that all about?"

"DRAVEN!" Pete and Blaze exclaimed simultaneously.

"Here's your breakfast..."

Rayne placed a plate of sandwich in front of her Poke'mon. She sat down beside them.

They were in the HQ's meal room. "Where did Draven say he was going?" she asked.

Ninetales shrugs. Don't know... He didn't tell me... he said.

Rayne shook her head at the thought of her partner's latest stunt.

"Hey, guys"

Both looked up, Blaze was coming towards them.

"Where was Draven going?" Blaze asked Rayne.

"Hell, if I know..." Rayne said.

"I heard a story downstairs..."

Rayne turned to her friend. "Story?" she asked. Blaze looked at her, knowingly.

"So, what's going on?" she asked. Rayne frowned.

"You tell me... I don't know what you're talking about..."

"Come on, I know about the kiss..."

"I didn't kiss her... She kissed me... Go ask her..." Rayne said.

"I didn't know she's gay... Did you?"

"Remember the girl I told you about?"

Rayne nodded.

"That was her..."

"Did you know she was gay?"

"No..."

"So what are you waiting for? She's clearly interested... Aren't you?"

Rayne stared down at her steaming coffee. To deny she didn't feel anything would be a lie and she hate lying, especially to Blaze who can immediately see through her. "I don't know..."

"You're not still hung up on Sarah are you?" Rayne asked.

"No..."

"Then, what?"

"I just..have a lot of work to do"

"Oh, you know that's crap..." Blaze said.

"Still, there's age difference..." Rayne said, still staring down at her mug.

"Tell me this... You like her or not?"

Rayne smiled. "Well, who could resist all that geek talk..." she said.

Blaze made a face at her. "I was hoping you would say you can't resist her smile but... Anything that works for you..." she said. Suddenly, her eyes caught a glimpse of someone entering the room. "Speaking of the devil..." she said.

Rayne turned to see Kit walking into the room. She headed straight to the pantry. She picked up the coffee jug but then she hesitated, she put the pot back and went to the fridge instead. She took out a bottle of mineral water. She was about to leave when she spotted them.

"Good morning..." Kit said when she came up to their table. "New Agent?" she asked gesturing towards Ninetales.

"My Poke'mon..." Rayne said.

"Hi, I'm Kit..." she said extending a hand to Ninetales.

I haven't seen you around before...

"I'm here with CyberCrime..." answered Kit as she sat down in front of him.

CyberCrime? What do you guys investigate?

"Anything related to the cyberspace..."

You know computers then?

Kit shrugs. "Some..."

So you play games?

"Sure, I like RPGs the most..."

Me too!

The two launched into a detailed conversation about computer games. Rayne cleared her throat and said. "If you don't start talking about something good..like vegemite, I'm going to start talking in Dutch and you know how I'm like if I speak in Dutch..."

That stopped the two. Sorry Ninetales said. "Maybe you can come to our room sometime and I can show you my collection..." he said to Kit.

"Sure, if your owner doesn't mind..."

Please?

"Yeah, sure..."Rayne shrugs

Ninetales grinned. Brilliant he said looking smug. Rayne smiled.

"How about you Rayne?" Kit turned to Rayne. "You play games?" she asked, grinning.

Damn her and her grin... Rayne thought as she could practically feel her cheeks getting warm, so instead of answering, she got up. "Can I see you in my office?" she said.

"Sure..." Kit said getting up too. Rayne turned on her heels and headed out.

"You wanted to see me?"

Rayne was standing near her table when Kit came in. She turned to face her. "What was last night all about?" she asked.

"It was a kiss..."

"Why?"

"Because I've wanted to kiss you ever since you came barging through that door demanding me to put my shirt back on..." Kit said, remembering when she fixed her computer last and breaking into a slow slumberous smile.

Rayne turned beet red.

"Tell me you didn't like it..."

"What?" Rayne asked distractedly as Kit took a step towards her.

"Tell me you're not interested... Hell, tell me you don't like me... Then, I'll walk out of that door and I will never bother you again..." With each step she was coming closer.

"Ah..." Rayne flustered.

A knock at the door interrupted them. Both turned. Faith was standing at thedoor. "Sorry for interrupting. Kit, we need you in the OR..."she said.

"I'll be right with you..." Kit said nodding curtly to her. Faith, sensing that she was intruding on something quickly nodded and disappeared.

"Well..." Kit started. She was only a step away from Rayne. Suddenly, she reached out and tucked a loose tendril back behind Rayne's ear. "I'll get back to you ..." she said and walked out of the door.

"What's up?" Kit plunks down in her seat.

"He's in..."

Kit turned her attention to her computer. Sure enough, BrotherAl is in the chatroom. They had been chatting for a couple of nights and Kit is playing the role of a 15-year-old schoolgirl, with parents on the verge of a divorce. Now, she could understand why the girls had trusted him. He seems totally sincere in listening to the problems, giving advice and motivations.

P3 Hello BrotherAl

BrotherAl P3... Hey... How are you today?

P3 Oh, I'm feeling much better...

"Hi Draven!"

Draven turned at the sound of the cheerful voice. "Hey Nine... What are you doing here?" he asked giving the fox Poke'mon an affectionate ruffle on his head.

A knock interrupts them. " Nemesis just picked up a body floating in the harbor. Blaze wants you two to take a look..." Rayne said from the door. The Agent got up.

"Back in your ball with you" Ninetales disappeared in a flash of red light.

They made their down to the pier where Nemesis had just docked. "What you got for us Pete?" Rayne asked. Pete opened the body bag to reveal a girl still in her school uniform. Her skin had turned blue from being in the water and between her eyes, a gunshot wound gaped open.

"Jeez, she's still a kid..." Draven said.

"Got any ID on her?" Rayne asked.

Pete handed her a schoolbag. "The name is Alicia Moore... 15... Judging from the state of the body when we found her, I'd say she hadn't been in the water for too long. Maybe a day or two..."

"Anything else?"

"She's missing her panties..."


	5. Setup

**The Last Precinct Head Quarters. Present Day.**

"Guys..."

Three head looked up from the computer. "We've got some news..." Blaze stepped into the OR followed by Draven and Rayne. "Nemesis just picked up a float. A 15-year-old girl by the name of Alicia Moore... She was shot in the head... Forensics is working on her right now..."

"You think there's a connection with our case?" Faith asked.

"We don't know yet. But, she does fit the characteristics of his victims... And considering the fact that her panties is missing ... we pretty much think it maybe linked..."

"Jeez... Now he's a killer..." Kit said as she stared at the screen She had been chatting with a killer. The hair at the back of her neck stood up. How can he still chat as if nothing had happened? What kind of cold hearted criminal are they dealing with?

"Until swab analysis comes out, we can't jump into any conclusion but... We better catch him as soon as possible..."

"I'm going to ask him to meet me..." Kit said quietly.

They all turned to her. "But, he usually asks the girl..."

"If he really did kill the girl... Now, he's becoming too dangerous... We can't afford to wait. We have to get him... Before anyone else ended up dead..."

"Err... Hate to point this out but you hardly look like a 15-year-old..." Draven said suddenly. "Even with a school uniform..." he added.

"Well, you've got anyone else in mind?" Kit asked.

"What about you?" Blaze asked Faith. Faith stood up. Though she's shorter than Kit, her size is a bit bigger than hers. "Okay... Both of you ruled out..."

"What about the officer downstairs? She looked young enough to pass for a school girl..." Josh said.

"Which one?"

"The one with the red hair..."

"Cody?"

"She does look like a prepubescent girl..."

"You want me to be a 15-year-old schoolgirl?" Cody stared at the serious faces in the room.

"Well, as you can see, none of us here can pass for a 15-year-old..."

"Except if Draven wants to do it..." Rayne said.

Everyone turned to Draven and he knew from the look on everyone's face they were trying to imagine him in a girl's school uniform. "Oh, piss off..." he said.

The others smiled, amused.

"What exactly are you guys planning?" Cody asked.

Kit proceeds to tell her of their plan. Cody sat quietly listening.

"So, all I have to do is meet him, go out for lunch, a picnic... and get raped?" she asked.

"Well, we'll leave the rape part out... If he follows the exact path, then we're sure it's him. We'll nab him..."

"What if he suddenly changes his mind? He decided to go to Victoria Park instead of the beach. What'll I do?"

"We'll have plain clothes all around. We will also put a tracer on you so that we'll know even the slightest change..." Josh said.

"Okay... Count me in..."

"Now, Cody... I want you to really think about this. He is known to hold the girls at gunpoint... And we've got one dead girl that might be his work too... The risk is very high..."

She gave Rayne a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry..."

" Rayne's really worried about you..." Kit said later after everyone has gone and Cody was making her way down the stairs.

Cody smiled. "I know..."

"The two of you...? I mean... Are you..."

Cody looked at her quizzically. Then she realized it. "Oh, you mean...?" she began giggling. "She's my mentor, Matthews..." she said.

"Mentor?"

"She trains me... Don't you think that will make her my mentor?"

Kit smiled sheepishly. "I see..." she said.

"What are you up to?" Cody asked. "And what's with last night's stunt?"

Kit leaned against the front desk. "What do you think if I ask her out?" she asked.

"I don't have anything against it. If she's happy then, I'm happy..." she answered.

"You think she'll say yes?"

"Maybe you should ask her..." Cody pointed.

Kit turned to find Rayne standing behind her. There was no way she could have missed their conversation. "Err... Hi..." Kit muttered, completely disconcerted. Rayne was unsmiling as she gestured to her to follow her up to the office.

"I'd appreciate it if you leave private matters private, Agent Matthews..." Rayne said as Kit stepped into the office. "I don't need anymore mindless gossips spreading through this building..."

Kit just nods her head in silence.

"That's all..." Rayne said.

Kit turned and walked out.

"Ah, one more thing..."

She stopped.

"My answer is... Yes..." Rayne said, smiling as she close her office door.

P3 Can we meet?

BrotherAl What for?

P3 I want to see you.

BrotherAl Why?

P3 I know we've only been chatting for a while but you've already helped me a lot in my problems.

BrotherAl I'm glad I could help.

P3 So, I would like to meet you in person and thank you properly.

BrotherAl You don't have too.

P3 Please? Please? Please? Please? Please? Please? Please? On begging knees

BrotherAl LMAO. Okay, okay... When can we meet?

Rayne entered the bar finding it half empty. A few people are already there, enjoying their drink. She began to look around.

"Sorry I'm late..."

Kit looked up to find Rayne sitting down at the table, in front of her. They were at the farthest end of the Cutter's Bar. She had purposely chosen a private booth. She doesn't want them to be interrupted. "No problem..." she smiled, suddenly feeling nervous.

Both fell into silence; each not knowing what to say to the other. Their beers arrived and the two sat nursing their drinks.

"So, how's the case going? I heard he agreed to meet"

Kit nodded. "Guess where the rendezvous point is..."

"The Opera House...?"

"Yupe... It's him alright..."

"You think it's safe sending Cody in?" Rayne asked. "I mean, I don't doubt her capabilities. I'm just concerned about what the guy is capable of..."

"We'll be there to back her up. We're going to set GPS on her so that we can still track her even if he dragged her down a wormhole..."

Rayne swirls her glass around. "She was shot once..." she said. "I felt like the world had just cave in on me... I don't want to go through that again..."

Kit put down her drink and reached out for Rayne's hand. Even in her state of heightened fears, Rayne knew she intended to kiss her. The thought sent shock waves of alarmed awareness through her entire nervous system. Rayne dropped her gaze to the brooding, sensual lips as it slowly came toward hers. It was a brief kiss but soft and promising.

"Don't worry... I'll stake my own life for her..."

When she opened her eyes, Rayne found Kit still lay curled up against her. Last's night memories rushes back to her and brought a smile to her lips. She shifted slightly to get a better view of Kit's face. She looked so at peace and gentle. Suddenly, Rayne realized she was already awake and was looking at her with such intensity that her stomach was a whirl of butterflies.

She slowly strokes her hand up Kit's arm, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. She placed a gentle kiss on Kit's shoulder while her other hand began a slow descend down the covers; stroking over her naked body towards her flat stomach. Suddenly, there was a loud rumble. Rayne's hand stopped in its track.

"Oops..." Kit turned crimson red and both succumb to an attack of giggles, knowing the moment had been shattered. "I see there's another urgent appetite to fill..." Rayne said getting up. "I'll fix us breakfast..." The covers slipped down the length of her, provocatively, Kit whistled her approval. Rayne put on her terry robe and padded barefooted to the kitchen of her rented home.

Rayne stirred eggs in the skillet to make scrambled eggs. Adding a dash of pepper, Rayne let it brown a little more. She then scooped the eggs onto a plate and grabbing a loaf of bread on the table, she headed back into the bedroom. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Frowning as whom could it be at this hour of morning, Rayne set down the plate and went to the door.

"You're not ready yet?"

Rayne opened the door to find Blaze waiting for her. "What are you doing here?" she asks.

Blaze stood regarding her wearily, hands on her hips. "We planned breakfast on Sunday remember and today's Sunday..."

"Oh, god!" Rayne sighed. "I totally forgot..." she said.

"Well, as long as I'm here... Go get changed..." Blaze said as she came into the house.

"Well... I..." Rayne started.

"Hey, baby..." Kit found two heads turning to her instead of one. Turning red from head to toe, she quickly tightens her grip on the bed sheet she had wrapped around her.

"Good morning, Matthews..." Blaze said. "Nice sheet..."

"Yeah... Right now I'm really grateful of bed sheets..." Kit said sheepishly. "Excuse me..." she said quickly darting back into the bedroom.

Blaze turned to Rayne who just shrugs innocently. "So..." she raised her eyebrows naughtily. "Geek talk, eh?"

"Josh, did you contact the Transit Police?"

"Yeah, they'll give us access to their maps..."

"What map?"

All the Agents were in the OR along with Markus, Blaze and Rayne, discussing the stake out. "A computerized map of the entire city circle system" Kit said.

"Why from Transit?"

"Transit got an extremely sophisticated system..." Josh began. "Look at this copy..." he pointed to the map spread on the table. "This one is a printed copy from the city council. It included all tracks and structures, every manhold, trashcan, platform edge... And what's on Transit's computerized map is even more detailed. For example..." Josh leaned, pointing and moving his tie out of the way.

"In last year, turnstiles at CQ number 300 were removed. That's right here..." He showed them a drawing of the Circular Quay at Harrington Street and George Street. "And a change like that now, goes straight into the Transit Police computer system..."

"Meaning, that any changes are instantly reflected on the computerized maps..." Markus said.

"Right... We need a detailed map because of safety reasons in case he bolts..." Josh pulled another drawing closer, this one of the Opera House. "We'll have plain clothes all over this area..." he pointed to the red dots around the map. "The blue dots are for vehicle back up... And green dots from the waterfront "

"Don't you think he will notice if the same guy is seen at the Opera House and later at the movies? He'll figure out that he's being tailed..." Draven said.

"That is a problem. But, we have to make do with alternating the officers since we can't exactly deploy different officers at each point... We don't have enough manpower for that..." Markus said.

"The suspect will be waiting here..." Kit pointed to the Sydney Opera House map. "At the Northern Boardwalk. We'll have two officers at each end; these include the Eastern and Western Boardwalk. One team will be at the Harbour Restaurant. All entry to the Opera House will have an officer guarding. So does every exit..." Kit said. "If for some reason, he spotted us... We have all the exits already sealed..."

"What about the cinema?" Cody asked.

"We've set up a team there too. When they go inside, four of our plains will also be in there... Flanking four different corners of their seats... "

"Not much for elbow room..." Cody piped in. Kit smiled. "No, but I doubt you'd be concentrating on the movie anyway..." she said.

"Do I have to wear a wire?" Blaze asked.

"Yes... We'll put on you a GPS tracking device tthat is linked to 24 orbiting satellites. It uses a triangulation method to determine your exact location so we can always keep track of you in case we lost sight. You'll also be wearing a microphone..."

"Suddenly, I feel like The Terminator..." Cody mused. The others smiled but their expressions didn't soften, as they knew the potential risk involved.

Kit picked up a volume of papers and handed it to Blaze. "This is the transcript of every single conversation I've had with the suspect. Try to memorize all of them in case he starts discussing about some of the problems that I've had... "

Cody scowled at the thickness of the papers. "Jeez, what did you guys talk about? The theory of relativity?"

"No, but there are some computer things... Like hacking, flooding servers... I wanted to determine his level of computer knowledge"

Cody made a face at her. "If he starts to ask me about this hacking business what am I supposed to say? Ooh, just get an axe and hack it in two?"

"Hmm... Haven't thought of that. He knows I'm into computers..." Kit said.

"So, how?"

"The earpiece..." Faith said.

Kit turned to her. "It hadn't been tested yet..."

"Not on the field but it passed all the simulation test..." Faith said.

Kit turned back to Cody. "The Intelligence Unit has been developing a new hearing device that fits at the edge of an eyeglasses. The tip rest right at the outer side of your ear that sends vibrations to the eardrums... If you wear the device, I'd be able to relate to you the answers for any technical questions he might asked..."

"I sense a but there..." Blaze said.

"They haven't been used in any field operations. In sims, there are no radio frequencies or electromagnetic waves interrupting transmission and reception... In the field... it's susceptible to all sorts of noises..."

"Well, I'd prefer to have all resources available, then not to have any at all..."

"I'll send a request to the IU..." Faith said.

"Tell them to have it ready by noon. I'll drop by the lab later to pick it up. We need to go through all the equipments..." Kit paused.

"Who's going to be assigned to where?" Rayne asked.

"Josh and Faith will be at the Control Room... You guys will be in charged with GPS surveillance, camera and communication... " Markus said. "And Blaze, you'll be with them..."

Blaze nodded.

"Rayne, you and Draven will be the married couple sitting at the restaurant..."

"Huh? Why us?" asked Draven.

"Cause you guys can pass as one..." Blaze said grinning mischievously.

"Huh? You guys are not married?" Josh asked suddenly. "Well, could've fool me..." he shrugs. The others sniggered while Draven shot a look at Rayne. She pretended she didn't see it.

"Kit will be at the Westside of Northern Boardwalk... The Nemesis and Harpy will be at the Bennelong Point..." Markus continued to name all stakeout points and officers assigned to it.

"Anything else?" he asked a while later.

"We'll still be chatting with him till the end... Just to make sure he's not backing off or anything..." Faith said.

"Okay, any questions?" Markus looked around. "Good job everybody... Keep it up..." he said as he got up to leave.

Suddenly, an officer appeared at the door. "Agent Rayne? This came in for you..." he said as he handed Rayne a folder. Rayne flipped it open. "The autopsy report on Alicia Moore.." she said. Markus sat back down.

"Cause of death, a single calibre gunshot wound to the frontal lobe... The gun used is believed to be a Glock, nine-millimetre pistol..." Rayne said as she skimmed through the report. "Ejector port mark was found on her right palm between her index finger and thumb. Forensics believes she had placed her hand in a defensive position when the pistol is fired. The residue rules out suicide..."

"Okay, we know what killed her... But the one million dollar question is, who?" Draven asked.

"There wasn't a semen sample on the vaginal swab analysis but they recovered some samples of skin under Alicia's fingernails and found some dried blood... DNA matched the ones obtained from our rapist..."

Low curses can be heard from everybody.

"My guess is that this one fought for her life... Maybe she was kicking and screaming ... The guy panicked, popped her and dumped her into the sea..." Draven said.

"I'm adding a .38 standard issue to your list of equipment, Cody..." Kit said when she saw the stricken look on Rayne's face. She just nodded silently.

Rayne went over and sat down beside her. "If you don't want to do this... You can still back out..." she said.

"No, now I have more reasons to do this... I want the animal behind bars..."


	6. Stakeout

**The Last Precinct HQ. Operations Room.**

Rayne sat in her office staring at all the files on her desk. She was not looking forward to the task of finishing all the reports .She eyes settled on the phone. Maybe I could disturb someone... she reached over for the phone.

Engrossed with the explanation about the new listening device by the IU officer and slightly annoyed with the interruption, Kit didn't even bother looking at the caller ID when she flipped open her phone. "Yeah, what?" she snapped.

"Well, sorry to disturb you..." came a surprised reply.

Kit sat up abruptly. "Rayne? Sorry... I didn't know it was you..."

"Busy?" Rayne asks.

"I'm at the IU Lab" Kit answered. "Excuse me for a moment..." she said to the person off the phone.

"Any chance of lunch?"

"Lunch... Dinner... Breakfast... Anytime..." Kit answered.

"What time you'll be back?"

"Don't know yet... How about if we try the new restaurant at The Rocks"

"There's a new restaurant?" Rayne asks.

"Luv..."

Rayne loved the way she said the word. Tingles began to shoot through her.

"I told you about it the other night, remember?"

"Oh... I don't remember much of the conversations we had in bed... My mind was... Somewhere else..." Rayne said. If one could hear a smile, she could have sworn she heard Kit smile.

"Are you calling me about lunch or do you have another thing in mind?"

"Do you want me to think about another thing?"

"Like I said... Anytime..."

"We'll see..." answered Rayne.

Kit groaned.

Rayne laughed. "I'll see you later then..."

"Hey, what about the other thing?"

"Oh, I'm still open for suggestions..."

The line went dead and Kit stared at the phone in her hand. She wondered at the incredible energy running through her body. Is this how love feels like? There was nothing that could describe this feeling that both floating and grounded, both fragile and resilient. She smiled as she walked back to the lab and fought hard to concentrate on what the IU office was saying

"We've arranged the meeting at two o'clock..."Kit said as she secured the tiny microphone under the lapel of Cody's shirt. "Test it..." she said as she handed Codye the hearing device.

"HQ to unit one - eleven" Cody said putting the eyeglasses on.

"Unit one - eleven" Draven's voice came back, right into her ears.

"Ten-five unit three..." Kit said, indicating the received information.

"Whoa! This is awesome..." Cody said. "It's so clear..."

"Be careful with noises interfering..."

Rayne looked at her image in the mirror. She was wearing a school uniform and the layers of clothes proved to be a blessing in hiding wires that runs from the back of her waist up to her collarbone. "It'd been years since I last wore a school uniform..." she said. "Can't say I miss 'em..." She turned to Rayne who had been watching the whole process. "What do you think?"

Rayne sighed. "Looking sharp" she said.

"Wear this..." Kit handed her a digital watch.

"What is it for?" Rayne asked.

"GPS tracking..."

Cody slapped the device on her wrist wondering at the simplicity of the watch.

"Don't worry... It can trace you even if you're inside the subways..." Kit said.

Cody nodded.

Kit glanced at her own watch. "We have to get you into a taxi... You ready?" she asked.

"Yeah, now or never..." Cody said taking a deep breath.

Kit turned to Rayne. "You gonna be okay?"

Rayne nodded. "Yeah..." she said. "I better go get in position..." she plants a kisson Cody's forehead before going out. "Good luck..." she said.

Blaze walked to a wooden door and knocked. It opened and Josh let her into a space that had been turned, into a control room. Closed-circuit television monitors were on a long table, and Faith was sitting at a console equipped with telephones, radio equipment and computers. She was absorbed in a row of four monitors. Each showed a blueprint of a different section of the Opera House.

Blaze scanned the monitors. There were arrows for Northern Boardwalk, Eastern Boardwalk and Western Boardwalk and an intricate grid showing entries, restaurants, studio, theatres and the courts. "What are these flashing symbols that look like twisted ladders?"

"They're the emergency exits..." Faith said. "We're linked to the House's CCTV surveillance camera. So, we get images of all the areas in the House...We also have controls of the electronic doors..."

"Meaning?"

Faith typed and the more televisions came on, each showing different views of the Opera House. They could see people walking past. "What I can do..." She typed some more commands. "Is act as an air traffic controller, in a sense. If the suspect does something unexpected, I will have the ability to trap him in the area. For example, if God forbid, he spotted the plains and runs, we can trap him by closing the emergency exits..." She hit more keys. The symbols were no longer lit up and a message next to it said 'Disabled'.

"What about the civilians?" Blaze asked.

"We will route them out to other unaffected emergency exits..."

"She's going into position..." Markus said suddenly appearing in the room. All eyes went to the monitors.

The crowds of tourist never seem to cease as Rayne leaned against the guardrail, waiting for 'BrotherAl'. It gave her an eerie feeling, calling him 'brother' in spite of what she knew. She glanced to her left and saw Kit standing at the far end of the boardwalk. Out in the horizon, she could make out the shape of the Nemesis and Harpy circling the waterfront.

"How's your end Rayne?" Kit's voice came through her earpiece.

"Quiet... Draven is falling asleep..."

"Tell him to drink a lot of coffee..."

"We've already had two jugs... The waiter's going to think we're a bunch of caffeine crazy tourist..."

"How are you doing Rayne?"

"Fine... He hasn't been spotted yet?" she asked.

"No..."

"All this waiting is making me nervous..." Rayne said, her lips barely moving. She glanced at her watch. 2.15, it says. "Where is he?" she murmured.

"Patience..."

"Someone resembling suspect is in sight..." Came a voice.

Cody immediately stiffens.

"Location?"

"He just came in from the lower concourse heading to the rendezvous point..."

That's from her side. Feigning indifference, Kit's eyes darted all over scanning each faces. Then she spotted him. As promised, he was wearing a soft pink cotton shirt, casual dark slacks and his blue backpack on his shoulder. He looked more like a door-to-door salesman rather than a killer. Looks can be deceiving...

"Standby, people" Rayne watch as the man walked up to Cody. He no longer sports a ponytail as described by the girls, it was shorter this time. The shaggy blond hair was bleached pale by the sun, and his face looked healthy and sincere. He wasn't exactly good looking but there is a certain boyish charm to him as he smiled at her. She felt the eerie feeling again. It was hard to believe that this guy was the same person who had raped and murdered schoolgirls.

"P3?" he smiled showing a row of pearl white teeth. Cody forced herself to smile. "Brother Al?"

"Glad to finally meet you in person..." he said offering his hand.

"The pleasure is mine..." She accepted his hand. The shake was brief and Cody was grateful for if he had held on a second longer, he could actually feel her trembling. "Thanks for agreeing to meet me..."

"Hey, I can't disappoint my sister..." he grinned. "Have you had lunch? I was hoping I could buy you lunch..."

"Lunch sounds great..." "The Harbour Restaurant?" he suggested.

"Sure..." Rayne pinched Draven's arm forcing him to open his eyes. His head snapped up. "What?" he asked. "They're here..." Rayne said nodding discreetly to the door. Draven straightened up in his chair, going on full alert. Rayne glanced at the couple sitting not far from her. Rayne gave a curt nod, acknowledging. She then turned away. Rayne saw Draven taking Rayne's hand and slowly stroking the palm. He was wearing his favorite Hawaiian shirt again.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Rayne's voice came on her earpiece. "What? We're supposed to be married aren't we?" Draven said. "How can we be married if I can't even touch you...?" Rayne noted the mischief in Draven's voice. She heard Rayne snort and she couldn't help herself from smiling. Those two are really something.

"What are you having?" For a moment, Cody was lost. She blinked blankly. "What?" she asked. He frowned. "What are you having?" he asked again. "Cody, concentrate!" Markus voice exploded in her ear.

"Ah... Fish and chips..." she blurted the first thing that crosses her mind.

"Okay, two Fish and chips... One fresh orange and...?" he looked at her. "Coke..."

The waiter nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. Blaze stared at the monitor as the image flickered. She could see Rayne and the man sitting at a table, talking. She seems to have the situation under control. Their voices streamed out from the radio steadily. "They're heading out..." Kit lowered the pamphlet she had been pretending to study. She saw the two walking out from the restaurant. The man gestured towards the waterfront.

"I like to watch the boats..." he said. "I like boats too..." Rayne said.

"Nemesis, circle around... You're in danger of being spotted..." Markus voice came out. "Copy that..." Pete's voice came on and a few moments later, Kit saw the boat casually cruises off. Harpy, being the smaller one was nowhere in sight. The other two unmarked boats floats lazily on the water. "What do you say of we go catch a movie..."

"A movie? What's playing?"

"I'm not really sure... But we can go and check it out..."

"Okay..." Cody turned around and she didn't see a man carrying his daughter beside her. She ran smack into him and the ice cream the girl had in her hand tumbled down onto her shoulder. "Oh, I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." Cody said as the little girl began to cry at the sight of her ruined ice cream. "You've got ice cream all over you..." 'BrotherAl' laughed. He took out a handkerchief and began dabbing at the wet spot. "It's okay... I can do that myself..." Cody began to panic when she felt his hands on her. "Let me..."

Suddenly, his expression darkened. He lifted the edge of Cody's collar. "What's this?" Cody began to squirm away but he tightened his grip on her arms. He yanked the microphone out. "You're wired! You're with the Police!"

"Shit! She's blown!" Kit began running.

"He found the mike... They're grabbing him..." Faith said staring at her monitor. She couldn't quite make out what was going on with all the scuffling. Voices ricocheted on the radio. "We've got him!"

"I've got his gun..."

"He's loose..."

"All units deploy!"

"Suspect heading to Westside of Northern Boardwalk! He got Agent Cody!" Blaze gripped the sides of her seat. A sickening feeling began to spread through her. "Oh, god! Not again..."

"Suspect spotted going into the Opera House..." Kit ran into the theatre not knowing what she would find. But the room was deserted. She stood perfectly still with her gun ready. "Control room... Location?" she asked. "They're in the theatre... Near the stage, I have no visual!" She tried to listen to her earpiece hoping she could hear Cody but all she could hear was static noise. She went down the stairs, her heart pounding in her throat. She stepped closer to the orchestra pit and stopped breathing when she saw a pair of black shoes behind the drums. She couldn't make out the face. No sign of them. Maybe she had gotten loose and had got out safely. She racked her gun, and demanded, "Come out with your hands in the air!" Drumsticks cluttered to the floor. A man in overalls looked as if he might have a heart attack when he emerged from behind the set. His eyes bulged from his head as he stared at her and the gun pointing straight at his head.

"I'm just tuning the drums for tonight's show..." he said in terror, hands straight up as if someone had just scored a touchdown.

"You're in the middle of a police operation..." Kit exclaimed, pointing her gun to the floor and pushed the safety on. "You must get out of here now!" He did not need the suggestion twice. He did not even collect his drumstick or his tuning set; he fled up the steps to the main exit. Kit looked around her. She heard voices from the prompt box. Suddenly, there were scuffling and what sounded like a grunt.

Cody began to scream. "No, no, don't" A loud pop sounded like an explosion inside a metal drum. Sparks showered the darkness of the box where the sound came from, as the lights in the theatre flickered. Inside the box there was no light. Kit felt her way down metal stairs that led into the first below stage area. She could feel the light switches but she did not dare to turn one on. Her eyes adjusted to the lighting and she could see the shaped of arches, rails and wooden props used by the stage drama. She narrowed her eyes even more and saw the man she was looking for not more that ten feet ahead of her. He held Cody in a choke hold, her revolver in his hands pointing at her head.

"Let her go..." Kit's voice sounded alien even to her own ears as she turned on the lights. Squinting, he shielded his face from the lights, temporarily blinded by it. Cody sensing her break, elbowed him. He doubled back and he lost his grip on her along with the gun. Kit quickly kicked the gun as far as she could and grabbed Cody's sweater, yanking her to her, and together they fell down and her gun clattered. He bent down and when he straightened, he smiled. Kit's Browning is in his hands now. He snapped the slide back, gripping the pistol with both hands, pointing the barrel at Cody's head. He was used to his Glock and did not seem to know that the Browning had a safety.

He squeezed the trigger and nothing happened. "Run!" Kit yelled to Cody, pushing her. "RUN!" Cody quickly headed up the stairs. He was busy shaking the gun that he didn't notice Kit diving for the discarded revolver. When he finally clicked off the safety, she was already on her feet, gun hoisted. He was startled and immediately squeezed the trigger. They both fired. The two loud pops echoed as one inside the theatre.

Kit ignored the tug at her side as he fell down to his knees. Blood squirted as he slowly slumps to the floor, noisily drawing his last breath. She swallowed in relief and stumbled up to the stage. Lights flooded the dim theatre as police officers, plain and in uniform burst inside. "It's okay... He's dead..."Kit waved her hand. Cody appeared at her side. She grabbed hold of the staggering Kit. "Kit? You okay?" she asked. Kit nodded but then, Cody noticed a red spot began spreading fast against the side of Kit's shirt.

"Oh, my god! You've been shot!" As if in a trance, Kit looked down.

"Well, look at that..." she said in a childlike disbelief. She smiled at Cody. "Tell Rayne... I love her..." Then, everything went black.


	7. Epilogue

**The Last Precinct Infirmatory. HQ. **

The bright lights hurt her eyes... Kit thought as she stared at the white ceiling above her. She tried to get up and groaned as a splitting pain slashed at her side. She fell back onto the bed.

"You're awake..." She turned to find Rayne sitting on a chair beside the bed.

"How do you feel?"

"Like shit..." Kit answered. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Rayne asked, tenderly pushing a strand of hair away from Kit's forehead. Kit frowned. "All I remembered was yelling at Cody to run..."

"You've killed him... the rapist..."

Kit's eyes focused and registered remembrance. "Oh, yeah... Now I remember..." she said. "And I remember looking at my own blood..."

"You got shot too... But, luckily he got such a bad aim he missed your chest..."

"Even at point blank?"

Rayne managed a strangled chuckle. "Even at point blank. He got you in the stomach, missing your kidney...but you had severe blood loss" Kit looked at Rayne.

"I also remember one other thing..."

"What's that?"

"I love you..." Kit said.

"I told Cody to tell you..."

Rayne shuts her up with a kiss. Everything was in the kiss. The pain, the anguish, the torment...The love...

"I love you too..." she chokes back a sob. "Can you promise me one thing?" she asked.

"What?"

"Never do this to me again!"

"Yeah, like getting shot is my favourite past time..."

They both laughed.

"How long have I been out?" Kit asked.

"Three days..." Kit frowned. "Damn!"

"What?" Rayne panicked.

"What's wrong?"

"I've missed my favourite show..."

"What show?"

"Poke'mon"


End file.
